The prior art includes a number of eyeglasses holders which grip the eyeglasses by clamping means so that the eyeglasses can be worked on or the lenses subject to testing or measurement. An example is the U.S. Pat. No. 3,622,144 issued Nov. 23, 1971 to Kotting wherein a first jaw having a first adjustment engages the top of the frame over both lenses, and the bottom of the frame is engaged by separate L-shaped elements pivoted one for each lens on a second adjustment. U.S. Pat. No. 3,617,046 issued Nov. 2, 1971 discloses a plate having mounted thereon four separate spring-pressed rams which engage the perimeter of the frame of a single lens. U.S. Pat. No. 4,049,254 issued to Godot Sep. 20, 1977 discloses a base on which sliding clamps are mounted to move toward the eyeglasses frame from different directions and be fixed once they engage it.
The Sargent U.S. Pat. No. 5,363,532 which issued Nov. 15, 1994 is an eyeglasses holder for washing glasses. Here clamping members may engage the eyeglasses frame from above and below. A nose post stabilizes the glasses during the clamping.
With the present popularity of wire-type eyeglass frames, there is an increasing need for a work holder which is readily and quickly clampable on the frame with a minimum of adjustment steps and at the same time can hold the frame in a way which secures it yet makes the pivoting elements between the frame and temple readily accessible for work. The present invention is directed to such a need.